It was third time’s the charm for Matt Deitz as he won the championship match for the MHSAA Wrestling Individuals Finals on Saturday.
For his senior year it was his third and final trip to The Palace of Auburn Hills. He had already gone farther than he had his junior year – when he placed seventh in the 135-weight class and had qualified in his sophomore year.
After four wins he was one match closer to being the champion in the 140-weight class in Division 1. All he had to do was take down Oxford’s Matt Fritsch, who was also going into the match undefeated for the finals and also was going in with a 50-3 overall record.
Deitz came out tough at the beginning scoring two points on Fritsch in the first round and held onto the control going into the third round.
‘I expected him to come out a little bit more tough at the beginning,? Deitz said. ‘My coaches watched him a few times and they knew he would slow down at the end – that’s when I would pounce him.?
Fritsch gave it one last go in the final round as he held onto his opponent. Deitz flipped at the end to scored two more points in the last 30 seconds for the win, 9-2.
‘It feels really good,? said Deitz after the match, still taking in the win. ‘The adreline is still pumping. I am going to be so happy in about five seconds.?
Deitz admitted after last year’s seventh place he knew he could take first this year. He spent the year working more on his feet and practicing in the offseason. He also had support from his coaches and family throughout the journey.
‘I had my coaches pushing me and wrestled with me,? he said. ‘My parents had me go running to stay in shape.?
‘I am really excited for him,? said Joe DeGain, head varsity coach. ‘He deserves the state championship and it was up to him to take it. He has put in a lot of time and effort.?
Deitz finished 51-3 for his senior year.
Another senior ending the season on a high note was Evan King, who finished in third place in his 160-pound weight class after defeating Seth Hanton from Holt, 8-1.
He lost his first match on Thursday to Dearborn’s Dino Berri in overtime, 3-2. He grew momentum taking down Rochester’s Matt Waszkiewicz with a fall 3:11 into the match, then Hudsonville’s Paul Carbone, 4-0, and Canton’s Keith Zech, 3-1 in overtime.
‘Anyway I wrestled was going to be tough,? said King about going against Carbone. ‘I beat a couple tough guys that had beaten him but I haven’t seen him before. My best shot was to try and ride him out and not go neutral with him. I wasn’t going to stop until I had a takedown anyways.?
Going in he knew he was ranked below all of his competitors but he kept his cool.
‘I was the underdog,? said King. ‘I was ranked lower than all these guys. I came back up and pulled third.?
After his first match a coach from Avondale came to him with words of inspiration for the next four matchs. He told King about a wrestler who also lost his first match and he went on to take third and finish the season 43-9.
It was also King’s third appearance at states.
‘I have been afraid and timid when I came here,? he admitted. ‘This year I stepped up and I wasn’t afraid. I saw the crowd and the bright lights and got past it.?
‘He showed a lot of character and guts,? said DeGain. ‘I am so proud of Evan.?
For Zac Roberson’s second trip to states, he finished in fourth after a loss to Howell’s Alex Calandrino, 8-6. The senior ended the season, 43-11. Junior Matt Vandermeer placed in sixth, for his first visit, after a highly-competitive match with Northville’s Nick Mudar, who won with a fall 4:31 into the match.
Earlier in the week he faced off with Alec Camp from Rochester and won, 1-0, after escaping from his clutches.
‘I was kind of worried going into it,? he said. ‘I have wrestled him before and it was a tight match before. He knows how I wrestle. I know how he wrestles, too. He does stuff to counter me in the match. After I escaped I knew I had him.?
He finished 40-14 for the season.
Junior Jeff Sloney took seventh in his second visit to states. He began and ended the finals going against Detroit Catholic Central’s Charlie Joseph. He beat him 7-3 in the first round and in the last round, 10-5.
‘It was tough,? Sloney said about his final match. ‘I was in his head a little bit but not really. He came hard. Even though I beat him earlier, he was ready.?
Sloney admitted he would have liked to have done better during finals but he was happy to place for his second visit and is aiming higher for his senior year.
He finished the season, 41-14.
‘It was a really fun week and the guys wrestled well,? said DeGain.
Over 200 photos on the Blue Button from the three-day event. Click on the Blue Button and choose “Wrestling Finals” folder. All wrestlers posted by name and event, starting with Clarkston, and also includes Goodrich, Lake Orion and Oxford.
If you would like an individual folder for a particular wrestler, please contact Wendi – 248-625-3370.